5 Tips to Keep Your Home from Languishing on the Market

When it comes time to move, sellers are typically interested in two things: getting their home sold for top dollar and getting it sold quickly. Whether your timeline is being cut short due to a job relocation or a change in your personal life, the following tricks of the trade will go a long way toward keeping your home from languishing on the market.

1. Price It to Sell: The most obvious way to sell a house quickly is to price it below the competition. Check out the comps in your area and then talk with your agent about a price that you’re comfortable with, but one that is less than virtually everything else in your market. By doing so, you’ll get more showings and might even incite a bidding war that will get the price closer to what you originally hoped to sell for in the first place.

2. Add Aesthetics: While it’s not always feasible to make large changes at the drop of a hat, putting in new windows or having your landscaping redone can add value quickly and go a long way toward attracting prospective buyers. Other changes that might attract buyers include repaving your driveway, adding shutters and power washing the exterior of your house. You can also buy a new mailbox and replace any address stickers that may have seen better days.

3. Sweeten the Pot: Everyone likes something for free, so offering up some of the furniture, curtains or other items in the home could be a great way to get someone to sign on the dotted line quickly. Another great tip is to offer money toward the closing costs as a way to entice people to buy. Transferable home warranties are also becoming popular, and for as little as $500, you can offer a one-year policy that will cover appliances that fail. Anything you can do to give the buyer a little extra can always speed up negotiations.

4. Use Social Media: Talk with your agent about a solid social media plan that includes utilizing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest in order to help sell your home. Make sure you have great pictures, creative videos and unique descriptions that will get people interested. Use these sites to network as much as possible so you can reach out to new buyers and create interest in your home.

5. Stage a Neighborhood Clean-up Month: Organize a neighborhood effort to clean the streets, parks and community, and make the entire neighborhood more attractive. You can all chip in on a power washer to clean the houses and driveways; hire a landscaper who agrees to add flowers to all the yards; or even have a painting party to spruce up the older looking houses in the area. When house hunters see the quality of the neighborhood, it will make them more likely to want to live there.